THE Information Regulator in partnership with Naspers and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) co-hosted the Children Data Protection and Online Safety Session at the Sizwile School for Deaf Children in Dobsonville, Soweto.
The session focused on the theme “Protecting personal information of children online” and incorporated the national theme in line with Child Protection Week (CPW) of “Working together in ending violence against children”.
Annually CPW is commemorated in the country to raise awareness on the rights of children as articulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and Children’s Act.
This year CPW was commemorated from 29 May to 5 June 2025.
As part of creating continuous awareness on data protection, this commemorative week is a call to all South Africans to support CPW by ensuring that the most vulnerable in society do not suffer abuse.
The Regulator closed of the week with an information sharing session with partners, such as the Film and Publications Board, the Department of Basic Education and Social Media Platforms.
Various speakers shared information and created awareness on children online safety, protection from harmful content, their right to privacy, and encouraged parents and guardians, learners, stakeholders, educators and parent representatives through the school governing bodies to play an active role in ensuring data protection of children.
Media Monitoring Africa’s Phakamile Madonsela highlighted the importance of being inclusive of all children when running such programmes.
“We need to do more to include all children living with disabilities and teach them how to be safe online citizens. We are committed to do more programmes to focus on learners with hearing impairments and support the schools,” she said.
Speaking about online protection of personal information, the Regulator’s Chief Information Officer, Tando Luyaba, shared the consequences of over sharing information online with the audience and urged learners to be in control of the information they share online, so to ensure their safety.
